Search

While industries compete to hire capable employees, it is essential that business education curriculum delivers graduates who can solve complex problems and implement multifaceted solutions. This approach to curriculum design focuses on developing project management skills to deliver an integrated, student-centered methodology across multiple disciplines. The development of undergraduate curriculum with a project management approach provides a framework centered on developing essential career skills in critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving.

Despite a robust field of study in healthy romantic relationship education and risk prevention interventions that employ traditional forms of delivery, the field of digital health interventions (DHIs) in healthy relationship programming for adolescents remains undefined. The purpose of this scoping review was to summarize the scope of published research in DHIs that promote healthy romantic relationships in adolescents. We conducted database searches, 2000-2022; hand searches; reference list and literature review searches, and emailed study authors to identify articles. Included were experimental, development, and feasibility studies. We summarized features of selected studies and their healthy relationship aims/components and identified patterns of emphasis and areas of future need. Sixteen publications describing 15 unique DHIs were reviewed with interventions developed and or trialed in 11 countries. We identified 10 web-based or downloadable applications, four serious game applications, one video-voice program, and one social media-based program. DHIs focused on improving knowledge/attitudes/skills of healthy adolescent romantic relationships directly or through prevention-focused programs. Interventions that measured outcomes found small effects, primarily in healthy romantic relationship communication skills. DHIs offer unique opportunities to provide user-responsive and culturally specified programming for adolescents and to involve adolescents themselves in processes of program design, development, and evaluation. Further research is warranted to define relevant outcomes for adolescents and validated measures to evaluate them. Future research might seek to address the social ecology of adolescent romantic relationships beyond the individual and interpersonal and explore combinations of virtual and adult-moderated in-person delivery to ensure youth are adequately supported.

The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the social representations of democracy, populism and the relationship between both concepts in a sample of citizens from different regions of Peru (n = 76). To this end, a qualitative research design was proposed, using in-depth interviews, which were analyzed from a discursive approach. The results show that democracy and populism are two closely related concepts in tension. On the one hand, the social representation of democracy is semantically poor, closely related to electoral behavior and is seen as a political system that, ideally, is positively valued. Populism, on the other hand, is seen as a political strategy based on the manipulation of citizens' needs in order to reach power using the democratic process of elections. The representation of populism in general is negative, and it is mentioned that it appears and acquires strength in the face of citizen dissatisfaction with democracy, when it cannot solve problems of poverty, corruption or exclusion. The representations of populism take up the constitutive components proposed by different authors on the topic (people, elites and democracy as a product of popular will), but the participants do not necessarily structure the relationships between these components as proposed in the academic literature. Finally, the results shows that respondents' experiences with democracy and populism in Peru act as important socializing forces that will frame how citizens relate to politics and the public.

School nurses are often sources of health-care support for teens with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancies. However, providing prevention (e.g., condoms) and teaching technical skills (e.g., condom use) needed to reduce high-risk sexual behavior may require a change in perceptions and policies. This study used a cross-sectional study design to assess nurses' perceptions of condom availability accompanied by sex education programs among high school nurses (n = 87) in Kansas. Results showed that school nurses in this study supported condom availability, were comfortable providing condoms, and felt condom availability was within the scope of their job but were less likely to provide condoms because of external barriers. Common barriers include administration, parents, cost, community support, and policies. School nurses, by virtue of their access to the majority of Kansas' adolescents, have the potential to provide sex education and tools such as condoms, so young people can prevent STIs and unintended pregnancies.

The UN's Sustainable Development Goal #5 (Gender Equity) includes violence against women and girls (VAWG), considering it as a violation of the rights of women and girls. The variety of risk factors for VAWG in Arab countries suggests the need to identify effective interventions to guide practitioners and policy makers. A systematic review of preventive interventions across the Arab League examined the outcomes of VAWG. Authors registered the study on the prospective register of systematic reviews database. Authors conducted the search for evidence up to 2023. Database searching identified 1,502 studies and after application of the eligibility criteria, 17 studies remained for inclusion. Quality appraisal used the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Evidence emerged from eight Arab countries. Interventions occurred at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention. However, only two studies employed interventions using more than one level of prevention, which considered systems strengthening and the development of community solidarity networks. The evidence revealed a lack of clear evaluation and evidence for the effectiveness of interventions and prevention alongside reactive approaches, with no evidence as to how systems may reduce or prevent VAWG. One main issue is patriarchal dominance in Arab countries creating the lack of a collective female voice in any of the evidence. However, Arab countries can change with support. Achieving the UN's Sustainable Development Goal #5 by 2030 means interventions and programs need to include more than one prevention level, consider systems and include the collective female voice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid systems (HS) are roughly described as a set of discrete state transitions and continuous dynamics modeled by differential equations. Parametric HS may be constructed by having parameters on the differential equations, initial conditions, jump conditions, or a combination of the previous ones. In real applications, the best solution is obtained by a set of metrics functional over the set of solutions generated from a finite set of parameters. This paper examines the choice of parameters on delta-reachability bounded hybrid systems.We present an efficient model based on the tool pHL-MT to benchmark the HS solutions (based on dReach), and a non-parametric frontier analysis approach, relying on multidirectional efficiency analysis (MEA). Three numerical examples of epidemic models with variable growth infectivity are presented, namely: when the variable of infected individuals oscillates around some endemic (non-autonomous) equilibrium; when there is an asymptotically stable non-trivial attractor; and in the presence of bump functions.

Introduction: Adding probiotics to triple and quadruple therapies has been proposed to improve their effectiveness in the eradication of Helicobacter pylori, but there is controversy about their usefulness. Objective: To assess the effectiveness and safety of probiotics as adjuvants in triple or quadruple therapies for H. pylori eradication in adults. Materials and methods: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) assessing the effectiveness and safety of probiotics as adjuvant therapy in combination with triple and quadruple therapies for the eradication of H. pylori in adults and published in English or Spanish between January 2010 and May 2020 were searched in the Embase, Ovid Medline, Cochrane Library, and LILACS databases. Regarding the meta-analysis, a fixed-effects model was used to calculate the pooled measure (OR and RR) of the effectiveness and safety of using adjuvant probiotics in triple and quadruple therapy. Results: Twelve RCTs were included (1 091 patients in total): 9 assessed triple therapy, 2 assessed quadruple therapy, and 1 assessed both triple and quadruple therapy. In the case of triple therapy, the use of adjuvant probiotics was more effective than placebo: 79.4% vs. 71.1%, (OR=1.42; 95%CI: 1.05-2.09), but in the case of quadruple therapy, their use did not increase effectiveness. The most widely used probiotic was Lactobacillus reuteri, with an eradication rate of 77.9% (95%CI: 70.5-84.19) versus 66.8% (95%CI: 58.8-74.2) for placebo. Probiotics decreased the occurrence of adverse effects in both triple therapy (OR=0.50; 95%CI: 0.28-0.90) and quadruple therapy (OR=0.26; 95%CI: 0.09-0.74). Conclusions: Adjuvant probiotics improve the effectiveness of triple therapy to eradicate H. Pylori by 8.5%, but the final effectiveness is

Aim: This scoping review aimed to identify and appraise the effectiveness and impact of breastfeeding promotion interventions conducted across Portuguese- speaking sovereign countries. Methods: Using the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, we searched 14 electronic databases for publications published through 31 July 2023. The search terms were designed to find studies promoting breastfeeding or exclusive breastfeeding in pre- defined Portuguese- speaking countries. Results: Of the 5263 papers initially retrieved, 30 interventional studies on breastfeeding met the inclusion criteria across three countries: Brazil (N = 26), Portugal (N = 2) and Guinea Bissau (N = 2). Participants ranged from pregnant women, mothers, mother-infant pairs, healthcare professionals, and school children. Overall, the interventions increased exclusive breastfeeding and better breastfeeding practices, such as a higher duration of breastfeeding. The interventions positively affected maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy, knowledge and perception. Only four studies used a theoretical framework. Conclusion: While the results were often statistically significant, no study had an outcome close to the recommended UNICEF and WHO goal of 70% breastfeeding at six months. The need to determine what works for the recommended six months postpartum period is critical for maximising children's health in Portuguese- speaking countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Women in India experience high rates of postpartum depression (PPD), with minimal availability of screening or treatment. India has an extensive network of community health workers, known as accredited social health activists (ASHAs). While they are knowledgeable about most maternal-childhealthproblems, they have minimal knowledge about PPD. We trained ASHAs to deliver a simple home-based intervention, behavioral activation (BA), which involves individuals in activities that are sources of positive reinforcement to counter depression. The research questions guiding this study were as follows: 1) What are the feasibility and acceptability of ASHAs screening for and delivering a brief behavioral activation intervention addressing PPD among women in Belagavi, South India? 2) What impact did the brief behavioral activation intervention have on PPD? Methods: The mixed methods evaluation used interviews with participants and interventionists, and depression scores were assessed before and after the evaluation. After a 2-day training with 17 ASHAs that focused on understanding PPD, screening using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and implementing the BA protocol, ASHAs and researcher supervisors screened the mothers 6-12 weeks postpartum presenting at pediatric immunization clinics. Mothers who screened positive were invited to participate in an ASHA-led 5-week BA intervention, with ASHAs visiting the mothers' homes. We assessed post-intervention EPDS scores and conducted satisfaction assessments and individual interviews. Results: All 26 women who screened positive on the EPDS agreed to be enrolled in the study. All participants had a significant reduction (p < 0.001) in PPD scores. Both ASHAs and mothers had high enthusiasm for the intervention methods and activities. Discussion: This ASHA-delivered BA intervention was found to be feasible, acceptable, and effective in treating PPD in rural Indian mothers. This corroborates literature that demonstrates the efficacy of a BA intervention among individuals with generalized depression in South Asia. In communities with minimal mental health resources, interventions led by trained community workers have the potential to address PPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One way in which professional nursing organizations have chosen to address the social determinants of health (SDoH) is through policy work focused on diversity, health equity and anti‐racism activities. The recent report, Future of Nursing 2020–2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity (FON 2020–2030), calls on professional nursing organizations and/or nursing coalitions to focus on addressing the SDoH to mitigate health inequities, including a focus on addressing racism and promoting practices to ensure the diversity of the nursing workforce. While these recommendations highlight issues of high importance to nursing and the broader society, they assume that professional nursing organizations or coalitions have not been sufficiently engaged in this work to date. Our goal was to better understand the current and/or ongoing activities of professional nursing organizations around their anti‐racism work of diversity, health equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities recommended in the FON 2020–2030 report. To address this goal, we conducted a needs assessment of professional nursing organizations to document their DEI activities and the timing of these activities relevant to the recommendations in the report. The 26 responding organizations indicated they had been engaged in work addressing DEI issues for periods ranging from 4 months to 51 years. Minimal funding was the major barrier to advancing this work. Creating a vigorous shared DEI agenda across the profession, as suggested in the FON 2020–2030 report, will require input from nurses across the profession, as well as identification of resources to support this critical endeavor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Las competencias en estadística responden al desarrollo de habilidades esenciales para la comprensión de la realidad y la toma de decisiones personales y profesionales. Un gran número de profesiones emplea la estadística como elemento esencial en investigación y análisis de información, pero también es común la respuesta de ansiedad ante estos contenidos. Este estudio analiza las estrategias metacognitivas implicadas en procesos de ansiedad ante la estadística, así como el papel de la ansiedad ante los exámenes en este fenómeno. Se analizó una muestra de universitarios habituados al tratamiento de información cuantitativa, en ellos se observaron bajos niveles de estrategias metacognitivas para el aprendizaje y niveles moderados de ansiedad. En un modelo de regresión se identificó que la ansiedad estadística se predice débilmente por la falta de depuración y fuertemente por la ansiedad ante los exámenes.